Sources: Obama to visit Cuba next month

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President Barack Obama said Friday, June 13, 2014, that the United States "will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq," but that he would be reviewing a range of other options to support the Iraqi government against a sweeping advance by militant fighters.

Sources: Obama to visit Cuba next month

President Barack Obama said Friday, June 13, 2014, that the United States "will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat in Iraq," but that he would be reviewing a range of other options to support the Iraqi government against a sweeping advance by militant fighters.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Barack Obama will visit Cuba next month, multiple U.S. and diplomatic sources told CNN on Wednesday.

The White House is expected to announce the trip Thursday. One U.S. source described the anticipated visit as short.

The trip, long expected, comes after Obama’s administration formally reopened ties with Havana in late 2014, following a half-century of enmity.

The visit was first reported by ABC News.

The American embassy was reopened and a U.S. flag raised at the compound on Havana harbor in August.

Since then, high level U.S. officials have traveled to the island, including Secretary of State John Kerry and transportation chief Anthony Foxx.

That meeting, which transpired during a summit in Panama, was regarded as a breakthrough. But images of the American President stepping onto Cuban soil will provide Obama a lasting illustration of his adage that diplomacy with traditional U.S. foes can yield concrete results.

Last week, U.S. air carriers entered a bidding war to secure routes to Cuba after both nations signed an agreement to resume flights between the island and the United States.

U.S. travelers, who previously were required to adhere to strict conditions for visits to Cuba, are now able to apply for a broad range of travel licenses, included trips for cultural exchanges and humanitarian work.

But travel purely for tourism won’t be allowed until the U.S. Congress lifts a longstanding embargo, which also restricts most trade with Cuba.

Many lawmakers stand opposed to such a move, arguing the regime in place in Cuba restricts dissent and tramples on citizens freedom of expression.

Leading up to the announcement of Obama’s trip, White House officials said Cuba would need to demonstrate human rights reforms before the President would travel there.

Officials say Obama could visit the island to witness a signing of a peace accord between the government of Colombia and the FARC rebel group. Obama committed $400 million to the Colombian government in his most recent budget proposal to implement the deal.